[Android] Best free app referrer

You have really cool apps on your phone and would like your friends or family to get them too. What do you do? You can, of course, tell people the name of the app you want them to download; then they can open Android Market and manually search for the app. Via this method they may or may not be able to find the app you are recommending; it is especially getting harder to simply tell people the name of an app and have them since more and more apps – often with similar names – are entering the Market. To ensure 100% accuracy in finding the app you would like others to have, you need an app referrer (sometimes called “app sharer”).

An app referrer is simply an app that makes it easy to inform friends and family about an app by sending them a direct link to the app on Android Market. Instead of hoping your friend or family will find the app by searching, you can know with certainty that they have got the app you want them to get.

(Take note an “app referrer” does not literally send people apps. You won’t be sending APK installers to others. An app referrer tells people where to find apps that are being referred, so they can download the apps for themselves. When “referring” – or “sharing” – an app you are telling people where they can download that app from.)

QR codes can be shared via e-mail, MMS, or any app that accepts image inputs.

Allows users to e-mail a list containing all installed apps.

No ads.

Cons

Does not allow users to share multiple apps at a time; only allows users to share one app at a time, or e-mail a list of all apps.

Does not have a search box to search list of installed apps.

Is dependent on other apps to generate QR codes.

Discussion

App Referrer is a simple app that allows users to easily share apps with others. With App Referrer, users can share apps as QR codes or as market links; the codes/links can be shared via e-mail, SMS/MMS, or any app that accepts text/picture inputs.

Using App Referrer is as easy and clicking on the app you want to share. By single tapping an app name, the default referral method is used; a long tap opens a menu that allows users to pick from a list of referral methods to use: QR code, SMS, e-mail, Twitter, image URL, market URL, or other. Through settings, users can set what the default referral method is (QR code, SMS, e-mail, Twitter, image URL, market URL, or other).

And the best part about App Referrer is it can do all of the above and be ad-free; App Referrer has no ads and in fact does not even request any system access permissions.

That said, the biggest problem I have with App Referrer is that it is dependent on other apps to generate QR codes. In other words, if a QR code generator app is not installed, users will not be able to share apps using QR codes with App Referrer. According to the developer, users must have Barcode Scanner installed if they want to use QR codes in App Referrer. However, I have found that App Referrer works with other apps too: I was able to generate QR codes in App Referrer using QuickMark QR Code Reader. Being dependent on other apps to generate QR codes is not a big deal if one has a supported QR code generator app installed; it because a major issue, however, when one does not have a supported QR code generator app installed. Oh well, no app is perfect, right?

Despite not being perfect, I find App Referrer to be the best app referrer available for Android.

Runner Up

Like App Referrer, ShareMyApps allows users to share all installed apps. However, while App Referrer can share apps via QR codes and links, ShareMyApps can only share apps via market links (sent through e-mail, SMS, or any other app that supports text input); and ShareMyApps is ad-supported.

The one thing I do like about ShareMyApps, however, is it allows users to share multiple apps at once. All one has to do is tickmark the apps that they want to share and pick the applicable method to share the apps. Another thing I like about ShareMyApps is that it has the ability to insert the version number of an app alongside its market link. While sharing version numbers isn’t essential, in my opinion, it is useful to have.

Honorable Mention

Out of all three apps featured in this article, ShareApps is probably the most simple. ShareApps has not settings, or customizations. Its purpose is to allow users to share apps and that is all it does: ShareApps allows users to share apps by sending market links via e-mail, SMS, or any app that supports text inputs. ShareApps can only share one app at a time (cannot share multiple apps or all apps in one list) and it only works with market links – no QR codes.

About Ashraf

Happily married to the most beautiful woman ever, Ashraf is the founder of dotTech. Ashraf spends insane hours on dotTech (usually writing articles but sometimes doing absolutely nothing except staring). Yes he is weird, but he is also very friendly.